The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-03-02
Washing Ion Letter.
From Our Own Correspondent
WAsHNGToN, Feb. 2G, 1887.

The weeks work in Congress can be read
liz epitomized. The Senate gave its consent
20 Captain Eads' Ship Railway scheme
across the Isthmus of Panama. wrangled, as
it always does, over the appropriations for
Rivers and Harbors, add voted away mil
lions by passing a number of bills for the
increase of the Navy. The House of Repre-
sentatives has devoted most of the time to
discussion of the money bills which run
this Government, and which invariably pro-
woke debate and which must be disposed OF
before the 4th of March, otherwise an extra
session would be necessary.
Both the Senate and House again passed
the Anti-Polyganly bill, this time as 1t came
amended from conference, and the measure
is now ready for the President to make it q
law by afhxins his name.
There was an interesting debate over this
question. Senator Vest said that, as mat
ter of course, the bill would become law,
Bot he could not vote for it. He was well
aware what the public sentiment of the coun-
try was. but no amount Of criticism would
effect the performance rs his duties as leg
islator In his judgment 1t violated prin-
ciple of the Constitution, as to the rights Of
property. He considered its provision as
to the Perpetual Emlgratirg Fund Company,
simple, naked, bold coniscation, and moth
ing else. 1t took money subscribed by in
d;viduals and applied it to an object (pubiic
schools) not contemplated by the corpora
tion. The same thing might be done IN re-
gard to any other religious corporation IN
this country. 1t was no answer &C say that
it applied only to the Mormon church.
The Senator said he recollected tho time
when in this country, storm of popular
madness threatened to destroy the Roman
Catholic Church, witl all its rights Of prop
erty, and when 1t was preached from the
pulpit and hustings that that church was op-
posed to a republican form Of government,
that it taught treason, that /: :shoald be abol-
ished and its property conrScated to the
treasury OF the United States.
Another feature of the bill which he could
not support was the test oath imposed upon
voters and persons selected to odce. He
knew something about test oaths, he had
gone through IN era Of prescription on ac-
count Of them.
Senator Edmonds ecnied that any prinei-
pie of the Constitution in respect to the
rights of property were violated in this bill.
and as to test oaths, he said they htd been
carefully incorporated in the Constitution
of the nited States. Every Senator had
been obliged to take one The President Of
the United States and every officer Of the
United States or Of g State was compelled,
and always had been, to take "a oath which,
in effect, was like that required in this bill.
Senator Hoar here inquired whether the
bill, in prescribing an oath OF qualifications
for Office, anywhere attacked mere opinion
separate from a criminal act. Mr. Edmunds
f.! replied that it did not in the slightest de-
gree. The most astute and ingenious soph-
\ist could find in it no hint of such thing.
1t had been carefully excluded. Senator
ingalls, asserted that he had as much respect
for the sincere opinion Of = Mormon as that